I am looking for other people that have been ripped off/scammed by Yokohama Midori Trading A.K.A. Best-Car-Japan. Lying about vehicle condition, not disclosing mechanical issues, charging fees that don't exist, charging much more for fees than actual, not disclosing hidden fees ahead of time, competing against you for vehicles, not releasing vehicles/stealing your deposit if you don't pay the fake fees listed above etc etc. If you had that funny feeling chances he was not being straight up with you. I am starting a list and helping to warn others. Maybe together we can do something to stop this guy Mike Yamashita. I am hoping once we compile enough evidence the owner of this forum will prohibit him from advertising which is where I have seen his ads. Please contact me by PM or by email at amahus (at) gmail (dot) com
Oh, no... So I recently purchased a minitruck through bestcarjapan (directly, not through an auctionhouse), now you have me worried. When did they start charging you additional fee's?
Hard to say without you posting more details about the vehicle and your location. I can almost 100% guarantee you that you overpaid + paid a bunch of fake fees and will receive a sub par vehicle.
I bought a Hijet from best car japan aka Yokohama Midori trading recently that was supposed to be in good condition with "No bad Notes" as the seller Mike likes to say. Well to my horror when it arrived in Canada, there was major rust holes in the frame that required major cutting welding and painting. My friend in Japan did some digging and apparently Mike CLEARLY knew about these rust holes IN ADVANCE and chose not disclose these defects. Initially he didn't translate the inspection and then went on to hide the rust holes in the subsequent photos of the vehicle. Another case is a Subaru van for my friend. We paid very top dollar for this vehicle as the condition was supposed to be mint. Well days before shipping out to Canada, Mike notifies us there is a "serious engine leak". What a suprise to us considering this vehicle was supposed to be mint with no problems. Mike informs us there is nothing he can do for us as the vehicle is sold as-is and we already left deposit on it. Again my source in Japan confirms that Mike was fully aware of these problems ahead of time and chose again not to disclose. In the case of the van I asked for a partial refund or some sort of compensation to help pay for the damages. In the case of the Hijet, I wouldn't have even bought it knowing about the serious rust corrosion. Not only did Mike NOT apologize for his BOLD FACE LIES, but threatened to seize our $4000 deposit if we did not pay the ORIGINAL price agreed to right away. No discount, no apology, no compesation! From all my research it seems like a trend that he conviently leaves out key details as to not discourage buyers. Don't get me wrong. Used vehicles have some minor problems but it's another thing to BOLD FACE lie about MAJOR defects. If anyone cares to see proof regarding these 2 vehicles, let me know and I can send you the vehicle inspection by email.
Fees: Not sure what his fees are, but fees you can expect to pay are: - Auction Fees - Agent Fees - Inland transportation - Inspection fees - cleaning / decontamination fees - deregistration fees - recycle fees - loading fees - ocean freight - insurance - unloading fees - dock fees - storage fees - customs brokerage fees - Import duty - Import tax - Excise tax - documentation fees - And MORE. "Most" Exporters will cover the majority of the Japanese related fees in their "agent fee", others charge a lower fee and bill these items separately. There are TONS of nickle and dime fees, particularly when the vehicle comes from an auction. (Whether you are buying it off the auction or from the yard, someone still had to pay these fees. Usually vehicles acquired privately will have slightly lower fees) That of course doesnt excuse not disclosing these fees in advance and providing a vehicle that is not the same as described. Shite can happen. Realistically a person can spend $3000 or much more just on fees and shipping depending on the circumstances. This is a great reason to consider using an experienced importer. It may seem more expensive, but your chances of success will generally be higher. Also, if you pay $1000 more but get a vehicle that needs much less work, then its all a wash. Most of the "bad" importers have disappeared. You can see there are relatively few importers left today that were in business 5 years ago. Dont forget that now you could be buying flood vehicles from the tsunami as well. When someone wants to import themselves, I always say "dont spend more than you can afford to lose" Imagine if your vehicle was sitting at port and got swamped by the Tsunami: 99% of exporters dont carry insurance for that kind of thing. If you paid for it in full - You are out your money AND your vehicle! There was also a RORO that sank a couple years back. Even if you had insurance, (which many dont) you are only covered for the car cost, not all the other fees involved! (Thank goodness we didnt have any vehicles on that boat) Importing is a long way from being low risk. Again this is not to rationalize this particular exporters actions, but just general info.
Great points Mini Brutes. If the Canadian importer has no point of reference, the Japan agent can easily overcharge on those fees, sometimes double! Example: Mike from Yokohama Midori Trading charged me double the actual cost for steam-wash (and didn't even wash the vehicles), he charged me 5% Japanese sales tax on every vehicle when it is not applicable on exports, etc etc. That is why a $1000 or $2000 vehicle in Japan can end up costing $4000 to $5000 once it hits Canada and that's not including servicing or modifications to put it on the road. Also you didn't address vehicle condition. Many vehicles being flogged out of Japan around the world are crap. Many Japan agents just want to make a quick buck. Rust, mechanical issues, odometer roll-backs etc. It is best to deal directly with a reputable Canadian company to find a nice truck. At least you have a form of recourse on home soil unlike me. I can't do anything to recover my losses from Best Car Japan. It would costs thousands $$ to file a lawsuit in Japan from Canada and wouldn't be worth it.
Yes, Vehicle condition is usually the biggest shock. Pics can be easily shot to hid the bad. I have been pretty lucky, over the years and hundreds of imported vehicles, there was only 1 that was not as expected. Bought a 4/B Miata from a non-local auction and we didnt have anyone there that day to take a look. 4/B? When it arrived I would say 2.5/C - Just horrendous. (Soft top toast, hard top toast, major dents, paint peeling, power windows not working, leather seats damaged, etc. I have to think that the person grading the car must have been the seller) We were going to put it back through auction but then its was "accidentally" loaded into our container. Thanks goodness it was cheap overall, but it still was on par with other Euno's Roadsters. Yes, there is lots of junk. We buy primarily from auctions and usually vehicles still with shaken. Although they cost a bit more, the condition is often better. At least you know it was inspected within the last 2 years and was recently still on the road. Many "yards" and junked vehicles. They take 2-5 trucks and put together to make one. Not saying this is entirely bad, but it has a potential to be so. Generally you get what you pay for, except when folks overcharge for fees. We were paying the better part of 65,000jpy for decontamination and vanning per vehicle. They gave us a flat rate, charging the same for a k-truck on the ground or a Canter in the air. Although expensive, we got better results (less shipping damage, better cleaning) so we just sucked it up. Tried another facility for loading and cleaning with a lower cost, but when the vehicles came they were muddy! Thank GOD that container was not inspected by customs. However that was the only time we used them as we did not want to have containers turned back. We also had an exporter screw us by sending NEWER trucks than allowed and falsifying export docs! We did not request this. We ordered 93's and 94's and they send 97's and 98's but stated they were older. This fiasco cost the exporter the better part of $30,000 after all the shite hit the fan. (Well cost us first, but luckily the exporter paid the bill then promptly went bankrupt. I think they paid us with other customer's money then couldnt fulfill the orders) We were very lucky in that situation. It is not easy to get someone 10,000 km away to make good on their screwup or intentional fraud. Our buyer in Japan actually owns 50% of this company. Therefore anything bad here reflects directly on him and his pocketbook. Ever since the partnership, we have had no suspicious vehicles. But for every horror story there are also stories of amazing deals! We snagged a MINT 4.5/A BMW 750IL with 12,900 original KM. The car came in WAY better than even imagined. Delivered to Saskatoon for under $5800 all-in! V12 5L madness machine perfectly stock. Not to mention the odd minty k-truck for a steal (like 15K JPY). It doesnt happen every day, but it does happen. The customer with the BMW was highly skeptical until the car actually arrived, then he became a believer. He sold it several years later for a major profit, although had difficulty. Callers didnt believe the mileage over the phone. Finally one guy flew in and was tickled pink when he saw it in person. Even if it had 120,000 MORE KM it was still a good deal. Dont let these stories turn you off of importing a vehicle, but definitely DO YOUR RESEARCH before sending your money out of the country. I think the American comsumers cant even import these themselves due to the EPA stuff. I could be wrong though.
Another buyer beware warning. I feel your pain. I have one more to add to the list of offenders. I purchased four trucks from a "dealer” in Surrey, B C. A guy by the name of Nitin Kumar with a company called Cimex Auto Ltd. I received the first truck. Not at all what was described. Horrible condition but that is the good news ! The other three premium low mileage units have yet to be delivered after a year and a half. I have a ruling in my favor now with B.C. small claims. He of course did not have the gonads to show up in court. In the end I might not ever collect. So if nothing else I hope to prevent this guy from from getting anyone elses cash. My advice is much the same. Do your due diligence when buying. I have been around the block a time or two and am not easily scammed. Do your homework before buying. I hope there is a special place in mini truck hell for these scam artists. I will bring the marshmallows !op:
it makes me sad to see that people still do this. sugar coating everything to point its unbelievable..
When you guys get vehicles do they normally come with a Title? I got an export certificate BL but no Title and now I cant get it to clear Canada customs... Please Advise.
Importing Canada customs seems to disagree... Where may I find a reference saying that I dont have to provide a title of the vehicle in my name?
Are you using a customs broker? Where are you located? Which port is the vehicle getting cleared at? What year is the truck? You dont need a title, but you will need a bill of sale or invoice showing the vehicle information and your information. I have not required a "title" ever. several hundred vehicles imported.
What you will need: - Original export certificate - Translated copy of export cert is a good idea - commercial invoice for the sale of the vehicle with vehicle make/model/VIN and sold to you. - Transport Canada FORM 1 Vehicle MUST be 15 years old or older right down to the month of manufacture.
I am not using a broker. I am in Halifax getting the truck cleared at the CBSA in Halifax (Downtown). Truck is 1995. I have a bill of sale and export certicicate.
Have an EXPERIENCED broker clear it. Its worth it, considering you do not have experience. There are no "titles" in Canada (Well out west anyhow) This is reason #647 to not do it yourself.
So I got my 1995 Hijet 4x4 with AC. The bed was in **** condition but for $688 + shipping (to Halifax), port fee's, customs, licencing it came to around $2600 to get it into my driveway all by myself. Dirtiest oil I have ever seen, and idle was a little low, but those two problems were a simple enough fix. There was some spray paint over some rust spots and some scrapes, but I heard that is common, it is from 1995, and in need of some TLC. Thus far its been a great little truck. I have put about 200km on it in town and on the 80km highways. It will need two new tires soon. AC, heat and 4x4 all work great. Engine is very quite considering its under my butt. The frame and suspension are it impeccable condition, struts look nearly new. Engine compartment is very clean, breaks work good. I know some people were unhappy with "best car japan" but in my case I am quite pleased and would consider purchasing from them again.
If you plan to buy a car, machinery, or anything from an exporter in Japan now or in future, it is strongly recommend for your own safety to check any Japanese website or company's status under the "Japan Company Trust Organization" which is an anti-fraud organization in Japan. This Organization has close connection with Japanese police, and all fraud-attempts are immediately reported to Japanese Police Department. JCTO (Japan Company Trust Organization) make sure that any Japanese company that passes their scrutiny will not victimize any customer, online or not. They verify the company’s profile including registration, license, physical address confirmation, and company's previous record. DO NOT remittance money to any so-called Japanese company before verification at "Japan Company Trust Organization" - (http://www.japancompanytrust.org
